Dunks History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the Dunks name come from when the Anglo-Saxon tribes ruled over Britain. The name Dunks was originally derived from a family having lived in the village of Duncombe, in Durham. There is also a Duncombe in Lancashire which is in the north country too. This local name was originally derived from the Old English word dun, which literally means hill. The second part of the name, comb was originally derived from the Old English word cumb, which refers to a short, straight valley. Therefore Duncombe was literally a hill in a short, straight valley. 1

Early Origins of the Dunks family

The surname Dunks was first found in Buckinghamshire where early records show Richard de Ingen held a barony in this shire since the Domesday Book. 2

"Duncombe or D'Engaine, [originated in] Engen or Ingen, near Boulogne, [Normandy, France]. Richard and William de Ingen accompanied the Conqueror. The former in 1086 held a barony in Buckinghamshire. Vitalis D'Ingen, his son, temp. Henry I., had Richard, who married a daughter of Alberic de Yer, Earl of Oxford, and was Baron of Blatherwick, Northamptonshire. His son, Richard D'Engaine, 1165, held in Buckinghamshire from Paganel of Dudley; and had, 1, Vitalis, ancestor of the Barons D'Engaine by writ, 1296; 2, Ralph D'Engaine (written Dungun or Dungeom in the Testa de Neville), 3 who held Holcombe, Oxford, and in 1253 as Ralph D'Ungun was Lord of Tingewick, Buckinghamshire." 4

From this latter reference, the name was listed as Dunguns, Dengaines, Dungems and then gradually was changed to Duncombe, the more popular spelling since the 16th century.

"The manor-house of Tangley [in Wonersh, Surrey], originally a hunting-box of King John's, was in 1585 converted into a residence for the family of Sir Francis Duncombe." 5

"The Duncombes of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire in the 16th and 17th centuries were gentry of note and position, whose names occur among the list of contributors to the fund collected at the time of the expected invasion of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Those of Bedfordshire lived at that time at Battlesden and other places, and served as sheriffs for the county. The Duncombes or Doncombes of Buckinghamshire lived in the 16th century at Great Brickell, Barliende, Wingrave, Dinton, and East Claidon." 6

Early History of the Dunks family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dunks research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1622, 1648, 1672, 1676, 1685, 1687, 1690, 1695, 1698, 1702, 1707, 1708, 1711, 1718, 1747, 1763, 1769, 1797, 1800, 1807 and 1826 are included under the topic Early Dunks History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dunks Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Dunks include Duncombe, Duncome, Duncomb, Duncome, Dunscomb, Dunscombe, Duncumb and many more.

Early Notables of the Dunks family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir John Duncombe (1622-1687), an English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer of England (1672-1676); Sir Charles Duncombe (1648-1711), English banker and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of the City of London; and William Duncombe (1690-1769), British author and playwright.Anthony Duncombe (died 1708), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Hedon (1698-1702) and (1702-1707.) Hi son, Anthony Duncombe (1695-1763), was Sheriff of London, who was created 1st Baron Feversham in 1747. He was later Lord Feversham, Baron of Downton, in the County of Wilts. However, Lord...
Another 99 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dunks Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dunks migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Dunks Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Dunks, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1886 7

Dunks Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Duda Dunks, aged 67, who arrived in America, in 1903
Myrtle Dunks, aged 6, who arrived in America, in 1912

Dunks migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dunks Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Elizabeth Dunks, (b. 1821), aged 20, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1892 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Dunks (post 1700) +

Henry Stephen Dunks (1882-1955), Australian politician, Liberal and Country League member of the South Australian House of Assembly (1933-1938)

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia